Lamprey River Preserve

With alternating stretches of whitewater and quiet water, the Lamprey River has been loved by Seacoast paddlers and fishing enthusiasts for generations.

The Lamprey River is one of only two New Hampshire rivers designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. Its alternating stretches of whitewater and quiet water have been loved by Seacoast paddlers and fishing enthusiasts for generations. The Lamprey is a major tributary of the Great Bay Estuary and its river corridor and uplands provide important habitat for plants and animals.

The 232-acre tract comprising the Lamprey River Preserve in Durham is one of the largest undeveloped tracts of land along the river and includes more than two miles of meandering frontage on the main stem. The preserve contains floodplain forests, vernal pools, forested wetlands, and open fields, which support a diversity of wildlife including waterfowl, turtles, amphibians, and foxes. Forty acres of grassland and former agricultural fields are actively managed to provide breeding habitat for bobolinks, Eastern meadowlarks, savannah and other field sparrows.

HIGHLIGHTS

Size

232 acres

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The preserve is located on Packers Falls Road in Newmarket. From Route 108 in downtown Newmarket, head west on Route 152. Turn right onto Packers Falls Road and travel approximately 1.5 miles to the preserve, located on the right side of the road.

Nearly all of what is now under Conservancy ownership had been purchased for sand and gravel extraction and was later approved to be developed as an 18-hole golf course by the town planning board. Remarkably, neither of these plans was executed and the Conservancy was able to acquire 224 acres as part of the conservation efforts of the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership. In 2005, the preserve was expanded through the purchase of an adjacent eight acres.

There are no formal trails on the preserve, but there is an unmaintained farm road that leads from the parking area on Packers Falls Road to the Lamprey River. The farm road passes through a large open field where visitors can enjoy watching for bobolinks and other grassland birds. The best way to enjoy the shoreline is by canoe or other non-motorized boat, which can be launched at one of several town-maintained boat launches on the Lamprey River. Due to nesting grassland birds, we encourage visitors not to walk through the fields during spring and summer.

The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 53-0242652) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.